Mayor's Favor
by Cleverlee Disguysed
Summary: When Castle and Beckett end up going to a middle school for a classroom presentation the results are both eye opening and humerous.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I see this with every story so in an effort to avoid being sued for the very few things I do own I will say that I do not own Castle. I know you are shocked but it's true. **

Mayor's Favor

Kate slams the car door and leans back against the car, taking a deep breath before she addresses her partner. The ride to their destination had been tense at best. She didn't sign up for this. She knew from the minute he weaseled his way onto the squad that his fame would cause her problems. She was almost surprised something like this hadn't happened before but she was still irritated. She turns and looks across the top of the car at her partner. Castle had been waiting silently knowing that it would be up to her to break the awkward silence. His few pathetic attempts at it in the car had been painfully shot down. One more deep breath and Kate says, "Let's get this over with." Castle, wisely, remains silent as they walk down the long breezeway into the building.

Upon entering the building they follow the signs to the reception area. As they approach the receptionist the phone begins to ring. The receptionist holds up a finger in acknowledgement of their presence and as a way of silently asking them to wait. Kate looks at Castle and rolls her eyes. This day was frustrating enough without having to wait. The receptionist answers the phone. "Castle Hill Middle School…" Castle smiles at Kate as he hears the name of the school but she ignores him as she continues listening to the receptionist. "I'm sorry Mr. McDowell isn't in right now but I can transfer you to his voicemail…No, I didn't realize his voicemail was full…I will leave him a message to return your call…Your name and number please…Thank you, Mrs. Etters."

Kate examines the receptionist's name plate. Mrs. Smith. It seemed like the perfect generic name for a school receptionist and Kate idly wanders exactly how many Mrs. Smith's there were answering school phones at that very moment. The receptionist hangs up and looks at Kate and Castle. She smiles as she asks, "How may I help you?" Kate answers, "I am Detective Kate Beckett and this is Richard Castle we are here to see Mr. McDowell but since he isn't in we will wait." The receptionist looks sheepish as she explains, "Mr. McDowell is in but he isn't taking parent phone calls this morning…or any mornings." She chuckles at some sort of inside joke within the school. Looking up she notices the serious look on Kate's face and sobers suddenly, "He isn't…he isn't in any kind of trouble is he?" It takes Kate a minute to remember that this wasn't an ordinary day. They weren't here to interrogate a suspect. They were here to serve as guest speakers in a sixth grade classroom. She really was in hell. "No ma'am, we are guest speakers for Mr. McDowell's class today." The secretary immediately picks up the phone and calls Mr. McDowell to tell him that his guests have arrived. After she hangs up from speaking with him she hands Kate and Castle a book to sign in. She then fills out two visitor's passes for them. She looks hesitantly at Kate before she speaks again. "Um…would you like to check your gun in with our school's resource officer?" Kate looks at her incredulously, "No, I will keep my weapon with me." The secretary chuckles again, "Just try not to shoot any of them."

Mr. McDowell walks into the office and Kate is immediately struck by his youth. She knew that the Mayor's nephew wasn't very old but he seemed almost too young to be teaching. He had short cropped hair but a handsome face. He was exactly the kind of teacher that young girls had a major crush on and young boys wanted to be like when they grew up. He was dressed in khakis and a polo shirt with tennis shoes. All of this added to his youthful appearance. As Kate looked at him more closely she realized he was probably in his early 30's and maybe even a little older than she was. Kate gave a cursory glance at the ring finger of Mr. McDowell's left hand and found it bare. It had become a habit that she wasn't exactly sure when it started. She wondered just how many single women did the same thing upon meeting a new man. "Detective Beckett. Mr. Castle. Hi, I'm John McDowell. You can call me John or Mr. McDowell. The faculty all refer to each other by last name here. It is just more convenient when referring to each other around the kids. I don't even know the first names of half the people here. I want to thank you both for this. I really appreciate you coming in today." Kate spoke up for her and Castle, "We're happy we could come in today Mr. McDowell. We have never had the opportunity to speak to students before." Kate hated to lie but what do you say? 'Mr. Castle plays poker with your uncle and somehow I was roped into doing this stupid thing. I'd much rather be standing over a dead body right now.'

Mr. McDowell looked at Mrs. Smith who motioned him over, probably to give him the phone message. "If you guys will excuse me for a minute I need to see what Mrs. Smith has for me." Kate took this opportunity to look around the lobby of the school. It was very clean but empty of everything except for a few plastic plants. It had a chlorine-like smell, almost like the area around an indoor pool. It was not at all like she expected and certainly nothing like her own private school had been like as a child. She would expect a school to be warm and welcoming but this place was really kind of depressing. She wondered why they didn't have a trophy case or anything else you would expect to see in the lobby of a school.

Mr. McDowell joined them and looked around the lobby as if seeing it for the first time. He seemed to have read her mind as he said, "They can't put anything much out here. The kids steal it all." He looked at them and shrugged as if to say he didn't really understand it either. "My first day here I was excited. I thought they had a pool because of the smell. Turns out that kids this age require copious amounts of disinfectant to kill their abundance of germs." Kate couldn't help but notice that he had a different accent than most New Yorkers. She decided to ask, "Where are you from? You certainly don't sound like a New Yorker." She smiled at him to let him know that this wasn't meant as an insult. Mr. McDowell chuckled and said, "I guess I do kinda stick out like a sore thumb around here. I was born and raised in North Carolina. Teachers don't make much there and my uncle encouraged me to come here to teach. It has definitely been a culture shock but I really do like it here."

Castle couldn't help but notice the sparkle in Mr. McDowell's eye when he saw Kate. He couldn't blame the man but he found that it irritated him beyond all reason. Because of this Castle found that he instantly disliked this man. This was neither the time nor the place to be hitting on a woman. He noticed McDowell glancing at Beckett's left ring finger and he knew he had to do something. He stepped behind Kate and put his hand on her lower back before looking McDowell in the eye. He leveled him with a stern gaze in order to show McDowell that despite the fact that her ring finger was bare she was off limits. Instead of backing down as most men would do, McDowell turned to Kate and smiled as he lightly touched her arm. "Detective Beckett, come on and I'll show you to my classroom." He deliberately added, as if an afterthought, "You too Mr. Castle." Castle rolled his eyes in true Kate fashion before following them through the lobby and down a hall lined with red lockers. Castle sighed knowing that today was going to be a long day and he would not let this weasel try to win Beckett over. He hadn't made a profession of his true feelings to her but he knew in this moment that if he didn't soon this weasel or another one was going to take her from him. He couldn't live with that.

**A/N This is my first story. I have been an avid reader and love to write so I thought... **

**I plan for it to be several chapters. Please review and let me know what you think. It would mean a lot to me.**

**Special thanks to my sister Hannah Smedley! She is my inspiration and mentor in this writing process. She is my hero in life:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**The only new thing I own since chapter 1 is a finger splint. Needless to say, my pinky has learned what happens when you don't stay with the group:)**

Chapter 2

As they started down the hall Mr. McDowell explained, "There are 3 grade levels here and each grade level's hall is represented by a different color. Sixth grade is red so that's why all of the lockers are red." Castle looked at the lockers as they passed and was struck by how small they were. He couldn't imagine how a kid could fit anything into these lockers. They certainly were nothing like the ones you see on TV. He was looking at a beat up combination lock on one of the lockers when Mr. McDowell stepped beside him, "Those damn locks are a bane to my existence." He looked at Kate before explaining further, "I spend the first three months of school teaching the kids how to open them and the rest of the year reminding kids of their combinations when they constantly forget. I swear as many times as I have to fool with those locks, I could be a safe cracker." He looks at Kate and winks before saying, "I would hate for you to have to arrest me though." Castle was getting tired of this bull, "We are homicide detectives. We don't fool with robberies. Unless you get yourself killed or kill someone, you won't be dealing with us in our official capacity." Kate glared at Castle. She started to correct him in his declaration of his being a homicide detective but decided against it. She wasn't sure what his problem was all of a sudden. She figured he would be thrilled at the opportunity of being around a bunch of kids since he was just a big kid himself. He was suddenly acting as irritated as she felt by this whole thing.

Mr. McDowell ushered them into his room. It was the first door on the right going down the hall. The plaque outside the door read Mr. McDowell: Room 502. From the door you couldn't see any student desks but could see a teacher desk and file cabinets in the back of the classroom. As they walked in they could see that the classroom was really quite large. There were lab tables in place of customary desks. The only other clue that this was a science classroom was a Garfield poster on the wall that said 'My Science Homework Ate My Dog.' The room had red carpet and Castle wondered whether the other grade levels had carpets that matched their grade level's color. The walls of the class were covered in cut out, laminated copies of a comic that Castle recognized as The Argyle Sweater. Castle stopped to read one that caught his eye and couldn't help but laugh. It showed the Trojan Horse with a bow on it outside the gates of Troy. Inside the gates was a Trojan soldier wondering what to do because he had forgotten the king's birthday. It was titled 'The Birth of Re-gifting.' He tried to get Beckett's attention but she kept walking with Mr. McDowell. Castle got out his iPhone and took a picture of it so he could show her later. He noticed there were also several globes in the classroom. Castle knew it was going to be a long day so he decided to at least pretend to be nice to Mr. McDowell as he said, "What subjects do you teach?" Mr. McDowell looked around his room and chuckled, "I guess it is hard to tell from my decorations. I have WWI and WWII posters and a periodic table but nothing will stick to these damn cinderblock walls. The only things I can get to stick are these comics. I love them and most of them tie into something I teach. I am, what I like to call, the buy one get one free teacher. I teach both science and history. It is an interesting mix but it's perfect for me since I get bored easily." Kate looked at Castle and wondered what type of teacher Castle would be. He certainly got bored easily but she would bet, with the way he could build theory, that there wouldn't be a dull moment in his class. She was certain the girls would all be in love with him. She couldn't help but smile at this thought as she turned her attention back to her surroundings.

At the front of the classroom where the white board should be was a SMART Board. Castle's first thought was that if the public schools could afford to put one of these in each classroom then it shouldn't be a big deal if he bought one for the precinct. After seeing all of the cool technology that Jordan Shaw and the FBI used he'd been yearning to put a SMART Board in the precinct. He just wasn't sure that Kate would go for it. He knew she found great satisfaction in adding things to the Murder Board and her favorite part was taking them down once they had solved the case. She provided closure to the families by solving the case and taking down the board offered her the closure she needed at the end of each case. He only wished that someday she would be able to take down the Murder Board that haunted her the most. Someday she would be able to open ALL of the windows in her apartment. He would do anything to see to that.

Mr. McDowell interrupted his chain of thought, "The kids will start arriving in about 10 minutes. I have three, ninety minute classes. You guys can take as much or as little of that time as you would like. I told the kids yesterday that you would be coming today unless you had a case come up. They were very excited. I had them write down some questions that they would like to ask you. I will ask you, would you like for me to intervene during their questions or would you prefer to handle it on your own?" Kate looked at Castle and shrugged before turning back to Mr. McDowell, "I think we can handle it. They're just kids. What are they, like ten or eleven years old?" Mr. McDowell nodded before Kate continued, "I want them to feel comfortable asking their questions. How bad can it be? We deal with murderers nearly every day." McDowell grinned, "Just try not to shoot one of them." Kate wondered why people kept telling her that today. These were just kids after all.

Kate decided she should probably go to the restroom before the kids arrived. Mr. McDowell walked her outside the classroom and showed her where the faculty restrooms were. He walked back into the room and an awkward silence fell between Castle and him. Mr. McDowell finally broke the silence, "I almost forgot! I hate to ask but would you care to autograph one of your books for me?" Castle smiled, maybe this guy wasn't as bad as he seemed. He was, after all, clearly a fan of his work. Mr. McDowell walked back to his desk and pulled a copy of Heat Wave out of his messenger bag. He also brought a Sharpie for Castle to use to sign it. "My grandmother is a huge fan of your books. She isn't able to get out anymore but when the Book Mobile comes around delivering library books to the elderly she always requests your books." Castle knew that McDowell was doing this deliberately as a jab at him but he wouldn't let it get to him…at least not outwardly. Inwardly he could be as pissed as he wanted. Inwardly he would be happy standing in this room with Mr. McDowell right now only if Mr. McDowell was surrounded by a chalk outline on the floor. Mr. McDowell hands Castle the book. "My grandmother's name is Maxine." Castle took the Sharpie and quickly signed 'Maxine, thank you for being such a faithful reader! Richard Castle' Castle closed the book and handed it back to Mr. McDowell, "I hope your Nana likes this." Two can play this game. If Mr. McDowell could make a jab at him then he would jab back.

Kate returned from the bathroom just as the bell was ringing. Mr. McDowell moved to stand in the doorway for his morning hall duty. Kate and Castle stood off to the side of the door near him. Mr. McDowell spoke to several kids as they came down the hall. He reminded numerous young men to tuck in their shirts as they walked down the hall. Kate noticed the boys immediately start to tuck in their shirts but saw that they pulled them out again once they were down the hall.

Kids started filing into the room in mass. Kate was struck by the differences in the children. Some kids were nearly as tall as she was, while some kids were very small. This was also a very diverse group of kids. As each kid entered the class they stared at her and at Castle as if they were aliens. It was really uncomfortable being stared at so intently. She always thought Castle was bad but he couldn't hold a candle to the staring these kids could do. She heard whispers but couldn't make out what the kids were saying. She decided she probably didn't want to know. After what seemed like forever, but was in reality only fifteen minutes, the bell rang signaling the start of the day. As they entered the classroom the students all stood and turned toward the back of the room. They immediately began reciting the Pledge of Allegiance without any prompting from Mr. McDowell. Mr. McDowell moved to sit at his computer. He spoke to the kids, "Okay settle down class. Who are we missing today?" One little boy in the back said, "Mark isn't here but I sure don't miss him!" Mr. McDowell sighed before saying, "Is there anyone else who isn't here today?" Met by silence, Mr. McDowell logged into the computer to, most likely, take attendance.

As he worked he spoke to the class again. "If you will remember, yesterday I told you that we might have two special guests with us today. Today we have Detective Beckett from the NYPD and Richard Castle…a writer." The kids began to murmur excitedly. Castle overheard one boy say, "Damn she is hot! I would totally hit that." Castle felt fairly certain that the boy didn't know what that meant but it still made him uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if Kate overheard the little punk or not but he stepped closer to her and leveled the kid with a glare. The little boy noticeably sank down in his chair. Castle almost chuckled thinking that here he was again making a silent stand for Kate against another male. Even if that male was only about eleven years old. Ever since they returned from L.A. he had been more territorial around Kate. He had finally decided that she was his. He was just waiting for the right moment to fill her in on the revelation.

As Kate looked out over the classroom she was certain this was hell. Kate Beckett would never wish murder to strike any family. God knows she wouldn't. But, if people have to be murdered it looks like they could do it to help her out of crap like this. She'd endured bad dates praying for her phone to ring and it never did. Anytime she was really enjoying herself the phone would ring without fail. Now as she stared down a class of 25 eleven year olds she'd almost murder someone herself to get out of this. She cast a glance at Castle thinking that he would be exactly who she would murder at this moment. Perhaps it was immature to blame this entire situation on her partner but she blamed him anyway.

Mr. McDowell asked Kate if she had a PowerPoint presentation despite the fact that he knew that she did. He had spoken to them before and he was informed that the NYPD had a standard presentation that they used for all education programs. He was trying to gently remind her to give him the thumb drive that held the presentation. Kate looked to Castle to produce the PowerPoint. He had begged her yesterday to let him take it home and look over it so he would know what to talk about. Under threat of death, he promised he would remember to bring it with him today. Castle reached into his pocket and produced the thumb drive. Kate missed Castle's grin as he handed it to Mr. McDowell. Castle had reviewed the presentation last night and found it to be incredibly…boring. He made some changes to liven it up a bit for these kids. He knew these kids would eat them alive if they weren't entertained. Alexis was a great kid but he did have birthday parties for her where other, less wonderful children were in attendance. He had seen first hand the damage that kids this age could do if they were not being entertained. He knew that Kate would never have approved the changes so he didn't tell her. He knew that she would be pissed initially but she wouldn't let these kids see it. Kate would carry on as if everything was as it should be. He would just have to deal with the repercussions of his actions later. In the mean time, this should be fun.

**A/N: Thank you so much for the alerts and reviews:) They have made me exceedingly happy! It is really a rush everytime I get a new alert so please continue. I need a rush:) 5 more days left with students in the school year. If I live there will great celebration! If you review, even greater celebration!**


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